1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to a telecommunications equipment bay, and more particularly to a subterranean equipment bay suitable for housing telecommunications equipment.
2. Background of the Invention
To support a nationwide network for wireless communication, a series of base stations or cells housing telecommunications equipment are positioned across the country. A cell may be located in or near population centers to provide service to the local population. A typical base station may include CDMA Distributed Base Station Equipment consisting of a Radio Frequency Unit (RFU), a Base Band Unit (BBU), as well as a Power Backup Cabinet (PBC), and is well suited for covering urban and rural trouble spots, office parks, tunnels, subways, and malls. The equipment is normally located above-ground, often positioned on utility poles, and the equipment components are designed to be installed in a vertical upright position to allow for proper operation and ventilation.
Recently, an increasing number of communities and municipalities have demanded that telecommunications equipment be installed to leave a less visual impact on the areas in which they are installed. Some communities have even imposed zoning restraints and ordinances barring the positioning of telecommunication equipment aboveground. As a result, it has become desirable, and in some cases necessary, to house telecommunications equipment underground. Housing the telecommunications equipment underground presents many challenges. An underground vault may be used to house and protect the equipment. An underground vault must be properly ventilated, and must be able to cope with water infiltration and possible flooding. In addition, a vault would need to have a depth of eight feet or more to accommodate the telecommunications equipment components in their normal vertical, upright position. To position such a vault underground would require that a hole be excavated that is eight feet deep or more. Excavating such a deep hole presents further hazards. For example, an excavator may encounter underground electrical wires, telephone lines, water lines, or sewer lines. Despite best efforts to determine the location of these potential hazards, their location is often uncharted or imprecise. Severing one of these wires or lines may create hazardous conditions, as well as require the vault to be moved to a different location. This may result in undesirable delays and increased installation costs. Moreover, deep excavations often require shoring of the sidewalls to prevent collapse during vault installation, adding further complexities and costs.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a subterranean vault adapted for housing telecommunications equipment that does not require deep excavation, and that allows for proper ventilation of the telecommunications equipment. In addition, there is a need to provide a subterranean vault having adequate water drainage capabilities.